Barcelona came from behind to defeat Slavia Prague 4-2 on a freezing night in the Champions League on Wednesday, with Fermin Lopez scoring twice and Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski adding second-half goals to secure the victory.
The win lifts Barcelona to ninth place in the standings with one game remaining on 13 points, level with seven other teams vying for a top-eight finish and direct qualification for the round of 16. Slavia languish third from bottom with just three points.
On a bitterly cold evening in Prague, with temperatures dropping to minus eight Celsius, Slavia stunned the visitors with an early lead.
A cleverly worked corner in the 10th minute saw Tomas Holes flick a delivery from the near to the far post, where Vasil Kusej bundled the ball across the line under pressure from Frenkie de Jong.
Barcelona levelled in the 34th minute through Lopez, who unleashed a sharp, angled strike from inside the box, squeezing the ball past keeper Jindrich Stanek at the near post after a faint deflection off the Slovakian’s shoulder.
Lopez doubled his tally and gave Barcelona the lead in the 42nd minute with a fine effort from the edge of the box. The attacking midfielder found the bottom right corner with precision, leaving Stanek no chance.
Barca’s advantage lasted just two minutes as an unfortunate defensive mishap saw Slavia equalize. Under pressure defending a corner, Lewandowski inadvertently deflected the ball off his shoulder and into his own net to send the teams into halftime level at 2-2.
After regrouping at the break, Barcelona took control of the game in the second half, relentlessly attacking Slavia’s defense.
Raphinha, Pedri and Lopez all squandered good opportunities before substitute Olmo produced a moment of magic. In the 64th minute, he hammered an unstoppable strike from the edge of the box into the top corner, restoring Barcelona’s lead in emphatic style.
Lewandowski atoned for his earlier own goal by sealing the victory in the 70th minute.
Marcus Rashford — another second-half substitute — went on a blistering run down the left flank and delivered a cross into the box. Although Lewandowski initially struggled to control the pass, he reacted quickly to poke the ball past Stanek and give Barcelona a two-goal cushion.
“We knew it would be a difficult match with the cold weather, they’ve put a lot of pressure on us, it was tough... my feet and hands hurt, can barely feel them... It was tough, but we managed to come back and win,” Lopez told Movistar Plus.
“We were aware that goal difference was something important looking to secure a top-eight finish, we wanted to keep a clean sheet but it was difficult. Good thing we managed to play well and got the win.”
![]()
Lopez double fires Barcelona to 4-2 comeback win at Slavia Prague
Short Url
https://arab.news/c2anu
Lopez double fires Barcelona to 4-2 comeback win at Slavia Prague
- The win lifts Barcelona to ninth place in the standings with one game remaining on 13 points, level with seven other teams vying for a top-eight finish
Manchester United stun leaders Arsenal to open up Premier League title race
LONDON: Manchester United loosened Arsenal’s grip on the Premier League title race with a 3-2 win in north London on Sunday thanks to stunning second-half goals by Patrick Dorgu and Matheus Cunha.
Victory would have restored Arsenal’s seven-point lead over chasers Manchester City and Aston Villa, both of whom won this weekend, but Mikel Arteta’s side instead left the door open as they lost at home for the first time this season.
United’s win, their first in the league at Arsenal since 2017, lifted them to fourth, and while they are not in the title equation themselves, it fueled the new-found optimism sweeping the club since Michael Carrick stepped in as interim coach.
Everything was going to plan for Arsenal when they took the lead in the 29th minute with a Lisandro Martinez own goal.
But a terrible mistake by Martin Zubimendi in the 37th minute gifted United an equalizer for Bryan Mbeumo.
Dorgu then smashed a ferocious shot in off the crossbar to put United ahead in the 50th minute but substitute Mikel Merino prodded the hosts level in the 84th.
United were not finished though and substitute Cunha was allowed to advance toward Arsenal’s goal before curling a low shot past the dive of David Raya from 25 meters to spark wild celebrations among the visiting fans.
Arsenal, who are now winless in three league games after two 0-0 draws, have 50 points from 23 games with City and Villa on 46. United moved fourth with 38 points.
United’s win followed their 2-0 defeat of Manchester City last weekend in Carrick’s first game of his second spell as the club’s interim manager.
The nerves are clearly starting to show at Arsenal as they seek their first title since 2004.
Even after Martinez got his legs in a tangle and deflected Martin Odegaard’s shot past his own keeper, Arsenal never looked completely at ease and slowly lost control of the game.
The omens still looked bad for United at that stage with Arsenal having won their last 15 Premier League games in which they had taken the lead.
But when William Saliba passed to Zubimendi who in turn gifted the ball straight to Mbeumo to score in style, the visitors suddenly sensed an opportunity.
Things took a dark turn for Arsenal five minutes after the interval. Again their defense was found wanting as Dorgu was allowed to control a bouncing ball before thumping a left-foot volley in off the crossbar past a stunned Raya.
Arteta reacted by making four substitutions, sending on Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze, Mikel Merino and Ben White while Noni Madueke also joined the fray later from a stacked bench.
There was huge relief when United failed to deal with a corner and Merino prodded in from close range — the ball being adjudged to have crossed the line after a brief delay.
It looked as though Arsenal had got out of jail and might even snatch a win but United’s belief was unwavering as Cunha delivered a gift to City and Villa.
Victory would have restored Arsenal’s seven-point lead over chasers Manchester City and Aston Villa, both of whom won this weekend, but Mikel Arteta’s side instead left the door open as they lost at home for the first time this season.
United’s win, their first in the league at Arsenal since 2017, lifted them to fourth, and while they are not in the title equation themselves, it fueled the new-found optimism sweeping the club since Michael Carrick stepped in as interim coach.
Everything was going to plan for Arsenal when they took the lead in the 29th minute with a Lisandro Martinez own goal.
But a terrible mistake by Martin Zubimendi in the 37th minute gifted United an equalizer for Bryan Mbeumo.
Dorgu then smashed a ferocious shot in off the crossbar to put United ahead in the 50th minute but substitute Mikel Merino prodded the hosts level in the 84th.
United were not finished though and substitute Cunha was allowed to advance toward Arsenal’s goal before curling a low shot past the dive of David Raya from 25 meters to spark wild celebrations among the visiting fans.
Arsenal, who are now winless in three league games after two 0-0 draws, have 50 points from 23 games with City and Villa on 46. United moved fourth with 38 points.
United’s win followed their 2-0 defeat of Manchester City last weekend in Carrick’s first game of his second spell as the club’s interim manager.
The nerves are clearly starting to show at Arsenal as they seek their first title since 2004.
Even after Martinez got his legs in a tangle and deflected Martin Odegaard’s shot past his own keeper, Arsenal never looked completely at ease and slowly lost control of the game.
The omens still looked bad for United at that stage with Arsenal having won their last 15 Premier League games in which they had taken the lead.
But when William Saliba passed to Zubimendi who in turn gifted the ball straight to Mbeumo to score in style, the visitors suddenly sensed an opportunity.
Things took a dark turn for Arsenal five minutes after the interval. Again their defense was found wanting as Dorgu was allowed to control a bouncing ball before thumping a left-foot volley in off the crossbar past a stunned Raya.
Arteta reacted by making four substitutions, sending on Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze, Mikel Merino and Ben White while Noni Madueke also joined the fray later from a stacked bench.
There was huge relief when United failed to deal with a corner and Merino prodded in from close range — the ball being adjudged to have crossed the line after a brief delay.
It looked as though Arsenal had got out of jail and might even snatch a win but United’s belief was unwavering as Cunha delivered a gift to City and Villa.
Latest updates
© 2026 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.